Expert Secret # 3: A New Opportunity Is Better Than More Improvement

“In 2001, Steve Jobs stood in front of the world and told everyone he wanted to revolutionize the music industry. Then he pointed out all the improvement offers that promised to get us more of the same. You could buy a CD and get 10-15 songs. You could buy an MP3 player and get about 150 songs. Or use a heavy hard-drive that held about 1,000 songs.

“Each product improved the one before it, giving people more songs on one device.

“Jobs wanted to create a new opportunity could bring their entire music library—ALL their CDs and digital music—everywhere they went. And he wanted people to carry it inside their pockets. That’s when he pulled the first iPod out of his pocket, showed everyone the new opportunity he created, and transformed the music industry forever.

“He did it again when he made the announcement for the iPhone, and again when he changed how computers would work forever with his iPad.”

Russell Brunsen

Expert Secrets

Curling: A New Opportunity

The Appeal of New Opportunities

At the personal level, I have consistently found new opportunities more exciting and appealing than the prospective drudgery of the repetition required for improvement.

Like many Canadians, I took up curling in order to create some new opportunities for fun in our otherwise long, cold winters. Curling turned out to be even more gratifying than expected. And not only that, it also turned out that the requirements of the game were a very good match for my physical and intellectual competencies.

Within my first year of curling, I moved from lead (usually considered the least skilled member of the 4-person team) to vice-skip (the second most skilled member). Before my second year, I was invited to be a skip (the team leader). What a great new opportunity!

Being a skip was great…I got to call all the shots, literally and figuratively.

Monitoring my progress as a skip, some senior members of the club suggested that I curl more than my customary two evenings a week. They explained that this would help me improve to the point that I could be a very competitive curler.

As appealing as were the new opportunities offered by becoming a competitive curler, the prospect of the endless repetitive practice was not something I even wanted to consider. Instead of focusing on the improvements necessary to become a really good curler, I chose to remain open to whatever new opportunities came my way.

My curling experience is neither unique to the game or to me.

My sense is that given the choice between the fresh clean start of a new opportunity and the hard work required to improve something familiar, most people would prefer the clean start to more of the same old same old.

The Baggage of Past Experience

In addition to the sheer effort required to bring about improvements, many of us carry the emotional scars and baggage of the best intentioned growth and development plans gone wrong.

In practice, this frequently means that the mere use of the word ‘improvement’ triggers unpleasant memories of failed attempts to make things better.

For most people to accept the need for improvement, they must first admit failure. Why else would they need improvement if they hadn’t messed up?

A new opportunity however, helps us let go of the emotional baggage of counter-productive choices and decisions. With a new opportunity, we are presented with a fresh start … a new page in a new book.

It’s kind of like taking up curling … instead of working to improve one’s snow shoveling techniques.

If you are looking for a new opportunity to attract more and better clients check out Expert Secrets by Russell Branson.